1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a terminal for charging with large current, used for charge of an electric vehicle for example, and more particularly to a terminal for charging with large current wherein unequal deformation of leaf spring pieces acting as contacts on a female terminal side is prevented, thereby improving electrical contact between a female terminal and a male terminal.
2. Related Art
FIGS. 6, 7, 8A, and 8B show a prior art terminal for charging with large current used for charge of an electric vehicle.
Referring to FIG. 6, a feeding side connector 1 is connected to feeding equipment (not shown).
The feeding side connector 1 is provided with a couple of divided casings 1a, 1b, and a female connector main body 10 capable of sliding back and forth by operation of a lever 13 is accommodated in its front end portion.
Male terminal accommodating portions 11,11 are provided on both sides of the female connector main body 10, and, as shown in FIG. 7, rod-like male terminals 12 are accommodated in the respective male terminal accommodating portions 11,11.
Referring to FIG. 6 again, a fed side connector 2 relative to the feeding side connector 1 has a shell 2a to receive a front end portion of the feeding side connector 1. The shell 2a is bolted at a flange 2b to an electric vehicle body (not shown), and a male connector main body 20 relative to the female connector main body 10 is set in the shell 2a.
A female terminal accommodating portion 21 of a cylindrical shape to be inserted into the male terminal accommodating portion 11 is provided on the male connector main body 20 and, as shown in FIG. 7, the male terminal 12 and a prior art female terminal 220 are accommodated in the female terminal accommodating portion 21.
The female terminal 220 has a terminal accommodating chamber 220a and a large diameter portion 220b in which the male terminal 12 is inserted, and a contact spring member 300 acting as an electric contact is fit in the large diameter portion 220b.
As shown in FIG. 8A, 8B, the contact spring member 300 consists of a lot of arced leaf spring pieces 310 whose both ends are linked with respective connecting portion 320,320, and has a substantially cylindrical shape corresponding to an outer diameter of the male terminal 12 and to an inner diameter of the large diameter portion 220b of the female terminal 220.
With respect to the above prior art terminal, however, the leaf spring pieces 310 of the contact spring member 300 are apt to deform unequally in a state of one side of the contact spring member 300 abutting on an end wall of the large diameter portion 220b when the male terminal 12 is inserted into the female terminal 220 since curvature of each of the leaf spring pieces 310 is not necessarily the same due to such as a manufacturing error and since each side of the contact spring member 300 is of linked-structure, thereby causing poor electrical contact between the male and female terminals 12,220.